Shake it Please

 

“Shake it please”, is the most common shout in the game of Tambola also referred to as Housie. A game played generally by oldies in Army clubs or even in picnics when there were no mobiles. The person hosting the game is the obliged to shake the numerals in the box for an even distribution of numbers being called. Although the callers are actually just hoping that the Shake would result in their number magically appearing in the hands of the host to call.  The there is the “Hips don’t lie” ,Shake it like Shakira, here it is the booty which when shaken raises not just a storm but a lot more which just can’t be satiated with just any shake. I mean fruit or milk shake etc.

All this shaking that I am referring to is due to the storm in the tea cup as Indian Cricket Team did not shake the hands of their opponents, the Pakistan Cricket Team after the T20 match in the recent Asia Cup. This hand shake is an unwritten custom and like all customs it is not binding, however a deliberate act of refusal is a snub. The wave of patriotism which engulfed the nation after OP SINDOOR elicited boycott calls for the match itself. The fact is that we decided to finally play,  despite the reservations expressed openly by millions and the govt also did not put any strictures on the Team or BCCI per se. But Cricket stars are celebrities, you would have noticed I deliberately addressed them as stars and not players, as they are no different from our bollywood ones. These stars thrive in publicity and public adoration so they had to indulge in some gimmickry. There are a number of ways in which sportsperson express their angst, black bands, ‘taking the knee ‘ or raising a fist etc.        To be fair, there are obligations of the national sports bodies to adhere to the  rules regulations and fixtures etc of the international   federations, failing which penalties are normally imposed on the the defaulting Team, which could result in disqualification, or even for subsequent       events. As we lost the opportunity to win a historic Davis Cup back in 1974, when as a protest against apartheid practised by South Africa we refused to play the finals, despite being favourites to win as Amritraj brothers were at their peak then. But here the situation was different, there was nothing at stake actually, a refusal to play would not have effected our chances of reaching the finals. Yes we may have had to face them again in finals but then there was a chance given the current form of the rivals, they wouldn’t have made it through. So BCCI and Team India would have emerged as having expressed their solidarity with the sentiments prevalent in the country.  Imagine even a drubbing of the kind inflicted on the Pakis hasn’t cooled the tempers. The other issue is once the call had been taken to play, then this post match drama did not assuage the feeling of collective hurt . As it is the Shake itself is generally quite fake, with no warmth just a perfunctory ritualistic act. During the game the kind of sledging which goes on, can hardly be described as sportsmanship. Cricket in fact has started to resemble WWE,  like the World Wrestling Entertainment specially the T20 version. Homage to the deceased in the Pahalgam cowardly terrorist act has to come from the heart, mere lip service won’t do and my earnest request to the BCCI and Indian Cricket Team is to refrain from such tokenism. So go ahead and shake it for all we care.

Deja Vu

‘Deja vu’, the recent events in Nepal have again played out a similar script as witnessed earlier in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the subcontinent and in Egypt and Syria in the Middle East a little earlier. The revolutions led by Gen Z seem to be a spontaneous revolt against poor governance by the ruling dispensations leading to full scale anarchy forcing the leading politicians to flee the country and those who fail end up being humiliated and even lynched by the unruly mobs. Then an unelected interim government occupies the seat of power, whether it was Mohammed Yunus in Bangladesh or Sushila Karki in Nepal, the sequence of events are eerily  similar. The striking resemblance  makes one suspicious about the so called spontaneity of the unrest.

The medium here is the social media, which is exploited by the forces inimical to these countries and tool kits are deployed to engineer the events by agencies which are commonly being referred to as ‘deep state’. The economy was teetering on the brink of a collapse due to corruption and Chinese debt trap in SriLanka when ‘Aragalaya’ (Sinhalese for ‘Struggle’) happened, in Bangladesh, the stability of Shaikh Hasina government for more than a decade had helped boost the economy of this country which was once referred to as basket case of Asia. But absence of credible political opposition and the  ‘quota reforms’ i.e. reinstating of 30% quota for descendants of freedom fighters reinstated by the Supreme Court triggered the ‘July Revolution’. Modus operandi remained the same, through instigating the youth by means of social media.

Nepal has been plagued by unstable political coalitions ever since the fall of monarchy and the scourge of Maoists in the early part of the century. Unemployment was rising rapidly, even the regular Gorkha recruitment in Indian Army was disrupted due to the Agniveer policy introduced in the recent past. Nepal government had insisted on recruitment as per old provisions, which was not acceptable to India, being discriminatory against its own citizens. The trigger for this round of unrest was once again the banning of social media which angered the GenZ which survives and thrives in the virtual world itself. Social media, X formerly twitter, Instagram and Whats App have together become the new WMD, ‘Weapons of Mass  Disturbance and Disruption’. The GenZ is addicted to it, with rising unemployment it only gets further accentuated.The targets were typically symbols of governance, the parliament house, residences of the Prime Minister and other ministers.

Since the events are unfolding in the immediate neighbourhood, India needs to watch the developments closely. Similar experiments have been tried out here also during the orchestrated Farmer’s agitation and Shaheen Bagh protests. Farmer’s agitation was reported to have been hijacked by the Khalistani elements and ended up vandalising the Red Fort on the 26th Jan 2021. The Central Government acted with remarkable maturity and let the issue subside without resorting to any violent suppression. Violence unleashed by the governments in the case of all three, SriLanka, Bangladesh and now Nepal did not stem the tide, instead ended up adding fuel to the raging fire.

Fault lines are prevalent in all societies, as none of them is truly homogenous. Even if religion a common thread as has been the case in all these nations, be it Nepal predominantly Hindu, SriLanka Sinhalese majority and rest being Islamic countries like Bangladesh or even Egypt or Syria. The fissures are all too visible for exploitation and ripe for the picking by the vested interests. India, though a melting pot of cultures and religions with subcontinental proportions and its 1.5 billion population has many fault lines which have been targeted by our adversaries in our chequered history. Thankfully, the governments of the day have acted with maturity and tenacity to weather these storms. The reason for this, is the strength of our institutions of governance, the Judiciary, the Executive, the Legislative and the Armed Forces. As was evident even in our neighbourhood, the Armed Forces had to come to the rescue of the countries from falling into the abyss of total anarchy. As long as we are vigilant of the developments and retain the strength of these institutions, the nation is safe. 

A House for Brig Suyash

 

So finally we have moved into our  permanent dwelling at Indore, having led a nomadic life for 47 long years, it was finally time to settle down. Although, in the same breath, there is nothing which is permanent in this world, but still we would like to believe that this is the final destination, or should I say last but one as the final one, we all know takes us beyond the world.

Please don’t get me wrong, this blog is not philosophical, this one is about the trials and tribulations of renovation of the house, which has endured fifteen tears of tyranny of tenants. Let me begin from where the story of House Number 550 actually started. I was posted in Wellington, when this newly constructed four bed room duplex was found by my father, which he found quite suitable for us. I was given two days’ leave to come and sign the title deed, which was managed quite efficiently by the lawyers of course at a price. Parents moved in here along with my younger sibling Sujay’s family who were in Indore during that time. But soon, they moved on to Nagpur and my parents found this too big for the two of them, so moved out into Sujay’s flat in Indore itself. Now the tenants story unfolds, one after the other, this place was ravaged and brutalised by over ten of them, barring the last one who was a retired High Court Judge, ensured that we spent better part of the rent received on its maintenance and upkeep sometimes they left the place infested with termites, sometimes with rats, sometimes with broken doors and windows and sometimes with outstanding rents for months along with unpaid bills for electricity and piped gas connection etc.

Anyway, now that we had finally retired, we decided to renovate it to our tastes and try to undo all the pain which has been inflicted on this poor structure. So it commenced with just the windows to be replaced and a new modular kitchen to be installed but then it gradually took on the complete overhaul of wash rooms, all the doors, windows and installation of a new  railing for the stairs as well. When I realised that I am already spending so much doing it up, I might as well create a small cosy study for myself, where I can seek refuge in the garb of indulging in my favourite pastime from time to time. We thought we could manage it sitting pretty at Mhow without having to get into the pit and getting dirty avoiding the usual duels with the labour with our weekly visits to the site, as it was handed over to a highly recommended architect.

 The work commenced in April and we were expected to be here by mid August, which seemed to be adequate period for it to be completed. But it was end August, we were to vacate the  govt premises allotted and retained as permitted for six months by mid September and the work seemed as good as finished from the outside. So finally we took the plunge on 4th September night, as there were predictions of a heavy spate of rainfall after that. The shifting commenced in the evening and finally culminated at 0400 h in the morning. But the situation seemed overwhelming, as the whole place was piled up with boxes and cartons and the renovation work still seemed to need a couple of days effort.

Now the ordeal began, first the unpacking without our domestic helps and the driver who were with us at Mhow, who had promised to accompany us here, ditched us at the eleventh hour. The fact that the plumber, the electrician, the carpenter and the mason were still around trying to complete their unfinished tasks we were in the pit literally. Each one of them had put in their bit to beautify the place but as we say in the Army, non-adherence to time lines jeopardises the operation. So for the last fifteen days, it is a daily flight of 40 stairs with ten rounds up and down making it quite an exercise in cardio and strengthening of thigh muscles, climbing the tower to check the water tanks on top to descending down to the underground sump, the bourgeois and the proletariat  rolled into one.  My knees are knocking, shoulders are sagging with all the lifting having been caught plumb by the plumber, screwed by the carpenter, the electrician all but electrocuted us in the bargain, it appears as though the architect had her designs on us. This reminds of the cross country runs of the academies, the damn thing just goes on and on, with finish line still not in sight. We are still hopeful that the Glider Dome will soon appear on the horizon, when we can begin sprinting and then savour  the pure bliss of having come out winners. With apologies to Mr  Naipaul for having borrowed and tweaked the title of his  classic “A House for Mr Biswas”, mine can be aptly described as “A House for Brig Suyash”

Ladakh: Paradise Threatened

 Ladakh the picturesque idyllic high-altitude desert, which has been an enigma for Indians as also for the rest of the world, has been in the news in the recent past for an unheard of unrest. The turmoil can be traced back to the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and creation of a separate Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh. One would have presumed that, Ladakhis would be happy with this turn of events, where their voice would be heard much closer at Leh rather than at Srinagar under the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir. But it appears that the populace is not really enamoured by just getting themselves a UT, and want to go the whole hog, demanding a separate state itself. Before we go on to the merits and demerits of this demand, we need to understand the trigger for the latest round of protest.

Sonam Wangchuk, has been spearheading the demands for greater autonomy citing ecological threats under sixth schedule of the constitution for quite some time. This included his march to New Delhi last year at the same time and the present round of hunger strike which culminated on last Tuesday. Fresh talks with the Centre were scheduled for 6th Oct, hence this violence which appeared premeditated, is quite inexplicable. A region which is primarily Buddhist, where His Holiness the Dalai Lama resides and frequents quite often, its people, so gentle that they would love to spend their time with the prayer wheel and beads humming Om Mane Padme Hum, a Buddhist mantra representing ‘dharma’ and the ‘union of compassion and wisdom’ resorting to any kind of violence defies logic. Having spent two years in this wilderness and having traversed the length and breadth from Turtuk to Daulat Beg Oldie, Base Camp Sia Chen to Tso-Moriri lake and Pang on the Leh Manali route, having interacted with the locals, both soldiers of the brave & courageous Ladakh Scouts and the civilians, one can vouch for their simple frugal lifestyle, trusting nature and  their trademark salutation of “Jule” with the ever-present effervescent smile.  

Obviously, there are vested interests who would like to open a new front to keep India embroiled, more so in the region which is close to the Line of Actual Control. Ironically, even at the peak of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir, Kargil, a predominantly Muslim region remained peaceful and now when Kashmir is gradually limping back to normalcy, Ladakh is witnessing these violent protests. The supposed spontaneous Gen Z protests even in other parts of the world were not innocuous innocent ones, the dangerous trends have been visible and their outcomes are hardly democratic or peaceful. We consider Mr Sonam Wangchuk to be an intelligent man and he has been professing peace all along, then his exhortations on Gen Z for protests can’t be accepted at its face value. His organisation, Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) has done some pioneering grassroot level work is undeniable. But in the same vein, when he embarks on this path, where he starts questioning the infrastructure development along the disputed LAC with China, doubts are bound to be raised. This round of unprecedented development in the region is a driver for the local economy as well, as he would recall the days when Ladakh was a Shangri La, “a useless uninhabited land, where a not a blade of grass grew”, as quipped by our first Prime Minister himself. Today’s Ladakh is a paradise for the tourists, peaking in the summer season, when it is near impossible to get even accommodation forget about a vehicle. Over the years there is some semblance of agriculture too over here, with apples and Khubani in Kargil, sea buckthorn, the wild berries and even some vegetables are grown during the season. Typically wherever there is Army, the region invariably is benefitted in terms of greenery, which is visible in the treelines visible when we are descending at the Leh airport.

I am sure the govt will be proactive and nip the nascent unrest in the bud, Ecological Territorial Army on the lines of Eco TA forces which have done a yeomen service in the Shivalik and Aravali ranges may be raised for Ladakh to address the concerns regarding environmental hazards. A representative council for the UT may also be consented to. It is important for the Gen Z and the protesters to draw lessons from the happenings in the subcontinent and not play into the hands of unscrupulous elements who are neither their well-wishers, nor of the nation.

Desi Top Guns

Back in NDA days, where inter-services bonhomie was being engendered in the crucible of India’s premier military training institution, we the ‘pongos’ generally teased the flyboys as theirs was “All air and no force!”. We were envious naturally, which 16 years old lad would not want to aspire to be a fighter pilot. Although Top Gun was yet to be unleashed on us by Hollywood, but flying did not need any endorsement by Tom Cruise, as it was supposed to be the ultimate urge of the homo sapiens, to take to the skies like birds and that too at those faster than sound machines, which looked oh so sexy. We the men in OGs had to be content with our SLR, the personal weapon, a Self-Loading Rifle 7.62 mm and our two dear feet to carry us everywhere. Then, why did I choose to remain on ground, rather than adorn the flying overalls and, as the motto goes for the Indian AirForce, Nabhah Sparsham Deeptam, excerpted from the Bhagwad-Gita, meaning “Touch the sky with Glory”.

We were the hardcore dyed in the wool Olive Greens, having been in awe of  Rimcollian Generals Thimayya, Bewoor, Bhagat, Candeth, two Chiefs and the other two Army Commanders, so we chose to remain grounded. By the time we passed out of the Academy, Tom Cruise as Maverick in his overalls, Aviator shades had literally captured the hearts of all the damsels, sending the stock of flyboys sky high.   Anyway, Air Force, did not need to prove anyone wrong by getting into any debates, their actions spoke for themselves. A professional service, with its meagre and austere resources has always come up trumps, trouncing the technologically superior aircrafts of our Western adversary, like the Sabre vs Gnats or F 16s vs MiG-21s.It was obvious that the man behind the machine, made all the difference.

The Indian Air Force has played a stellar role not only in the defence of India but even in in its fledgling avatar as the Royal Indian Air Force during the Second World War. Baba Mehar Singh’s landing in Leh is the stuff of legends, so were the landings in Sri Nagar on 27th Oct 1948, when 12 Sqn became the saviour of the Valley by landing the 1 SIKH battalion led by Col Ranjit Rai, setting the stage for jointness in its true spirit. 1965 and 1971 saw the Indian Air Force come into its own by literally ruling the skies above, especially the Eastern Sector, where they established total air supremacy and it was the Tangail Paradrop on the 11th and their bombing the Governor’s House on 14th, which led to the final surrender by panic-stricken General Niazi and his 93000 troops. During Kargil, they bombed the Muntho-Dhalo Logistics Base, thereby aiding the onslaught by the ground forces and hastening the ultimate withdrawal by the infiltrators. During peacetime, their logistic support has been the lifeline of troops deployed in the high-altitude regions in Sia-Chen, Kargil as also in the winter cut off posts in Kashmir Valley and the North East.  They ensure that troops stationed in these areas are kept warm by providing k-oil, are fed, by ferrying rations and then the most important part of casualty evacuation is undertaken by the helicopter pilots even in treacherous weather and climatic conditions.

Sekhon, Keelor brothers, Ahuja, Abhinandan and their ilk have proven that when it comes to valour and sacrifices, they stand shoulder to shoulder with their sister services. Flyboys are always itching to take a go, and have provided the Indian Armed Forces, the strategic edge, which they have demonstrated amply by the Balakot strikes and the recent drubbing and decimation drive during OP SINDOOR. Not satisfied with conquering the skies, they have ventured into outer space as well, with Rakesh Sharma and the latest to join the bandwagon Shubhanshu Shukla, with many more to follow in their illustrious steps. Our pilots have proved they are second to none during exercises with friendly foreign countries and have proved to be the Top Guns in real life. On the occasion of the 93rd Air Force Raising Day, I salute their pride and professionalism, may they continue to set the skies ablaze with glory always. 

Gaza:Elusive Peace

 Gaza, well the accord is signed by the warring parties, ceasefire brokered by Trump and the swap of prisoners and hostages have finally taken place. The world has heaved a huge sigh of relief, the madness which was unleashed on 7th Oct 2023 when Hamas launched a surprise assault killing 1195 personnel and 251 were taken as hostages. The brutal barbarism with which the civilians were killed and the treatment of the hostages was abhorrent and it was obvious that a tough reprisal from the Israelis would follow. But even in their wildest dreams the Hamas leadership and its backers had not imagined the ferocity and the prolonged duration of this conflict. The stated aim of Israel of total decimation of Hamas has still not been achieved despite a relentless offensive by the IDF for the last two years, but they have nevertheless inflicted almost crippling damage to the leadership not just of Hamas but also of Hezbollah and Houthis. In the bargain, as collateral damage the civilians in Gaza were subjected to unprecedented hardships, sometimes even food and medicines not making it through to the needy. Cleaning up Gaza for providing security to the Israelis had the tacit sanction of the US during Biden regime and was openly supported by Trump. How long will this truce last, is anybody’s guess. 

Israel was blamed for human rights violations and committing genocide  in Gaza, reminds me of the SriLankan Army action against LTTE, where too a similar kind of offensive was launched in 2008-09 after almost three decades of civil war like conditions in the Tamil dominated Northern and Eastern regions. Sri Lanka has steadfastly refused to allow any kind of international investigations of the alleged atrocities inflicted on the civilian casualties. Thankfully, the scourge of LTTE has been totally eliminated after the death of their supremo, Prabhakaran. I am not so sure about Hamas though, as although the top leadership has been delivered a knock out punch but there are remnants who may mushroom again. The other dissimilarity is that while LTTE was a terrorist organisation, but it did not flaunt any religious identity and demanded a separate Tamil Eelam, it was more ethnic and regional, whereas Hamas or Hezbollah or Houthis all are Islamic  and their stated objective is total annihilation of Israel.

So are we comparing apples and oranges, actually no, the fact remains that any such conflict, is by nature extremely violent and civilians perforce have to  suffer collateral damages. India by contrast, has not only displayed extreme caution in all such situations and despite grave provocations have demonstrated phenomenal restraint, so much so that we were labelled a soft state. India has had its share of insurgencies and terrorist attacks and still continue to be at the receiving end in Kashmir, relatively less in the NorthEast and even Naxalism in some parts. Patience has paid and also the winning hearts and minds strategy, through which we have harvested rich dividends. The similarity between situations in Israel and India is that both are plagued by cross border terrorism, which is religious in nature. Pakistan too has been practising the ‘death by thousand cuts’ strategy like the inimical neighbours of Israel who want to drive all the jews into the Dead Sea. While insurgency needs to be handled with care, as it is own population which is disaffected and some of their grievances may be genuine, but terror has to responded to in a tough, no nonsense manner, as has been done in the last decade or so. Of course, none of these guarantees absolute peace for all times to come, just that you may buy some time, till the lessons are forgotten for a fresh misadventure by the adversary.

However there are lessons, which we need to draw from the Israel-Hamas conflict, first and foremost is that never let your guard down, the 7th Oct terror attack was a result of gross intelligence failure. We have to be extra alert in view of the adversaries in the neighbourhood and the presence of a large number of fifth columnists within our boundaries. Secondly, treating the symptoms doesn’t work, the root cause has to be tackled, as seen in OP SINDOOR. They must realise that the costs of any such misdemeanour  are prohibitive and hence they better mend their ways. Alternately, as Godfather would say, “Make them an offer they can’t refuse!” 

A Cabin Affair

 Back in the NDA, jointness was evident in every small little detail, for example if the Commandant was from Army, the Deputy Commandant was from the Air Force, similarly for a Naval Commandant, his Deputy  would be from the Army. Similarly the Squadron Commanders, Battalion Commanders and Division Commanders were shared pro rata, for every two Army officers as Squadron Commanders, there would be one each of Air Force and Navy in the Battalion. The hierarchy too was similar, a battalion (Army) was divided into four squadrons (Air Force) and our rooms were designated as cabins (Navy). These cabins were our homes away from homes for those three years, they were our refuge from all the ordeal that we were put through in those formative years.

The image which your gullible mind conjures is of a cabin that is a romantic log cabin deep in the woods, the NDA cabin is a total contrast. Let me first describe the cabin for those unlucky souls who did not get an opportunity to pass out under the Quarter Deck. The cabin was furnished frugally with a bed and mattress, a study table, a drawer for clothes, a window with blinds, a shelf on the wall where our Field Service Marching Order was packed and kept ready, underneath the shelf was a kit bag with a cardboard in it to give it a shape, duly covered by a clean white handkerchief. The gap between the door and the ceiling was covered by a wired mesh. Now that I have described the cabin in some detail, permit me to paint a typical scenario of any day back in 1983 in our case, I bet it was similar in 1953 and also in 2023. So at three in the morning there is a knock on the door, when we were just about catching our forty winks having been knocked out cold well past the lights out at around midnight. The third termer from the flank where my cabin was located, was at the door, groggily I wake up and put on my dressing gown, lest I be given a dressing down for not following the protocol for the dress, I was hauled straight into the common wash room on the floor, where my other buddies were already huddled up, we knew exactly what was in the offing, so we got about our task in a business like fashion, rolling from one end to the other with the overhead taps in full flow, ensuring that our skins were kept hydrated. After this round of bathroom session, as it was known during our times, we were back just in time for the bathroom clearance and get dressed for the morning muster. 

When we return, the cabin lock stares at us with sympathy, and quietly without even creaking just gives way so that we could find some solace in our abode. The bed welcomes us with open arms, but unfortunately we had to spurn this offer, the smokers of the course, light their cigarette quickly to give their lungs their daily/hourly fix of nicotine. We quickly rush to the Tea room flanks with ours and a couple of additional mugs of the seniors to fetch the “hot and ready” tea. Tea was never relished in small cups but in tumblers, as it barely contained any content of tea, it was just sweet ‘tea coloured’ hot water, which was guzzled in litres by the cadets ensuring their tryst with the throne was effective and eventful. 

Back to the cabin, which is aware that we are in tearing hurry to get dressed, where the KD (Khaki Drill) Shorts and Shirts are ready to quickly to adorn you, the shoes, with their 32 nails and the horse-shoe in tact along with stockings and garter flashes are the accompaniments with go with attire. The belt too is eager to get onto your waist, lest it be wasted and lo and behold, we are ready in a jiffy. The FSMO perched atop the shelf is mournful, the dungarees are envious, so are the riding hat, britches and boots, as their turn comes just once in a week. Somewhere the swimming trunk is hiding underneath the heap of inner wear, socks white and black generally find refuge in the kitbag, as it is only weekends when one can hope to treat them to some detergent.

Now the satchel beckons, it is already overflowing with the PT rig thrown in, the notebook lying underneath cursing the sweaty T shirt and smelly socks. It is time to make our appearance for the Pre-Muster where the Corporal just peeps outside and barks ‘get lost’. In the parade ground with our cycles by our side, who almost snuggle close, they are aware that, their intimacy is short lived, as the senior whose bike on the neighbouring stand is flat, is going to ride away leaving the poor sod with his flat bike to lug around. “O God help us to keep ourselves physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight…” Time for the NDA Cadets’ prayer and off we go, the cabin windows bid us adieu tearfully, the blinds in half mast, waiting longingly for the post lunch brief interlude, when we would be reunited.